Grantsburg Middle, Grantsburg WI

Original Research by School Decision on Grantsburg Middle

Grantsburg Middle serves grades four through eight in the Grantsburg School District, a regular public school in the village that is the county seat of Burnett County. The school sits in a small, wooded village that describes itself as the manufacturing center of the county and an access point to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Crex Meadows, the state’s largest wildlife area. The village has grown modestly in recent years, and its housing values fall notably below the Wisconsin state benchmark and below the national benchmark, making it a more affordable market relative to broader state trends.

The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very modest share of students who identify as Hispanic or as two or more races. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that gives a sense of the economic circumstances many families in the district face. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it serves a standard grade span from upper elementary through middle school.

On Wisconsin’s Forward assessments, Grantsburg Middle shows a pattern that a parent will want to consider grade by grade. In math, fourth graders turned in a strong result, with a large majority meeting or exceeding the state’s proficiency standard. By fifth grade, that share dropped to just under half, and seventh grade showed a similar figure. The sixth and eighth grades landed back in a solid range. In English language arts, the school was more consistent across grades: the proportion of students reaching proficiency ranged from a little over half to a substantial share in eighth grade, where about seven in ten students were proficient. Science scores were a clear strength. Fourth graders and eighth graders both recorded results where roughly three-quarters of students scored proficient or above, which is a notably high mark. Social studies results were even stronger, with fourth graders posting an especially high proficiency figure and eighth graders also performing very well.

When placed against other districts in Burnett County, an index that combines all tested subjects and grades places Grantsburg Middle in a top quartile position relative to its county peers. That county-level comparison set includes a small number of districts, so the ranking among them provides a general sense of standing rather than a wide comparison. The school’s overall proficiency index is the highest among the three districts in the county for which data is reported. A parent looking across the district’s grade levels will see that the middle school grades at Grantsburg produce a mix of strong science and social studies outcomes alongside more variable math performance that warrants a closer look.

No data was reported on chronic absenteeism or graduation rates, which is typical for a middle school that does not serve the high school grades. No information on discipline, staffing ratios, course access, or special education and English learner populations was available in the data provided. A parent who wants to understand class sizes, enrichment offerings, or support for students with disabilities would need to take that inquiry directly to the school or district office. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary shifts or referenda, so the school appears to be operating under steady conditions.

Grantsburg Middle fits a family looking for a small-town, rural school environment in a village with a modest downtown and strong outdoor recreation nearby. The academic picture is strongest in science and social studies, with English language arts generally solid and math showing a split that a parent should explore with the school by grade. The housing market is more affordable than the state and national averages, and the village is growing slowly but steadily. For a family that values a walkable village setting, a small school where a high share of students qualify for meal assistance, and a county-leading academic profile on the subjects where this school excels, Grantsburg Middle is worth a closer look.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 481%

School 81% · District 63% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 41% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 55% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 33% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 39% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 57% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 50% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median

Grade 669%

School 69% · District 60% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 52% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 62% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median

Science

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 59% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median

Grade 875%

School 75% · District 55% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 487%

School 87% · District 71% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 62% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

This schoolGrantsburg School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income79%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income35%Higher-income78%43 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income59%Higher-income76%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income59%Higher-income62%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income53%Higher-income81%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income70%Higher-income92%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income52%13 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income46%Higher-income85%39 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income53%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income69%22 pp gap